Chipper Experience Request

[BrushyMt]

I am in looking for a chipper and Wallenstien and Jinma are on my short list based on my "uninformed due diligence". I would appreciate some experienced based weigh in on this matter. As a reference, on balance I tend to view durability and quality to be more important than price.
Thanks, BMt.

 

[AlanB]

I think you answered your own question. The advantage to the Jinma (or Jinma clone or whatever the heck I have) is price.

Worth doing a search on the subject and you will find this discussion a couple of times, but the short version, in my opinion, is that you go Jinma (or whatever flavor Chinese) if you want low price and don't mind working on it a bit. You want high quality, flawless operation etc. etc. Then look for another brand.

 

[JohnnyW]

I have a Bear Cat 73554 model I believe. It is 5 inch. I have used it once or twice just to check it out and it works great. The problem is that I have a old asplundh 16" that I like more. I just bought a Kubota and the chipper came with it. Anyway make a long story short it is for sale if you are interested. I am on the coast of California. I do think that the quality on this chipper is very good. Also the prior owner did not use it at all.

 

[nspec]

I've got a Bearcat 73554 as well. Very well built, solid, simple unit. You won't be dissappointed. Extremely capable, durable, and has the heaviest flywheel for it's size of anything on the market.

 

[Affordable]

I have sold hundreds of the Jinma woodchippers over the years and they are a great value,last year I started having a chipper made that is similier to the Jinma but has some items that Jinma did not want to include such as, 360 degree discharge chute,adjustable leg height,upgraded heavy duty feed driveshaft (weak point on the Jinmas) 8" capacity.
They both have a 135 lb flywheel, 5-drive belts and 2-reversable 10" blades

All the parts for the Jinmas and the Tomcats are on the shelf and can ship the same day in most cases

The chinese chippers are going to be half the cost of other chippers on the market,and most will agree that they are worth it .Most chipper owners (reguardless of brand )use there chippers a few times a year then they sit for the rest of the year,you have to decide what you want to pay for this type of equipment

Here is a pic of our TomCat chipper


Tommy
Affordable Tractor Sales
"Your Jinma Parts Superstore"
Home of compact Jinma, Foton, and Koyker Tractors and Parts, Wood Chippers, Backhoes - Affordable Tractor Sales Company

 

[irvingj]

Tom, what's the HP requirement on that chipper?

 

[wayne48]

I bought one of the Tomcat chippers from Affordable last fall. Despite some initial teething problems - partly due to user error- the chipper has worked well for me and seen a lot of use already. It's substantial in construction and I think will hold up in the long run.
Tommy @ Affordable was easy to deal with, stood behind his product and a man of his word. Things to take into account when you buy long distance. (I'm in Vermont and Affordable is in Texas)

I see the new model Tom Cat has redesigned what I feel was one of the poorer features of the chipper. That was the lever arrangement that disengaged the feed roller. A series of rods and arms that have a lot of play in them. Kind of flimsy. Looks like the new model has done away with all this in favor of a straight throw out lever right at the drive transmission. I think this will work better.

I run the chipper with my MF 1433 (33 hp).

 

[Ben Hodges]

I Have Bear Kat 9 inch with a 50 HP Kobota engine. Self feed and it does a super job Easy to service Little costly. I had it about 6 years and used it alot beside my children. let a contractor use it on a job and when he brought it back he siad he had never used a better one for it's size. Ben Hodges

 

[Affordable]

Tom, what's the HP requirement on that chipper?

We have put them on 25 hp tractors up to 80 hp tractors,if your tractor is over 50 hp you will need to purchase a longer PTO shaft,the one that comes with the chipper is short.If I know what tractor the customer is using I can tell if the PTO shaft will work or not,if you do need the longer shaft ( $ 150.00 max at local farm stores) I will give a $ 80.00 discount to not ship the short shaft with the chipper which will just about pay for the longer shaft

Tommy
Affordable Tractor Sales
"Your Jinma Parts Superstore"
Home of compact Jinma, Foton, and Koyker Tractors and Parts, Wood Chippers, Backhoes - Affordable Tractor Sales Company

 

[Ranch_Hand_Supp]

I am in looking for a chipper and Wallenstien and Jinma are on my short list based on my "uninformed due diligence". I would appreciate some experienced based weigh in on this matter. As a reference, on balance I tend to view durability and quality to be more important than price.
Thanks, BMt.

We sell the China MFD Jinma PTO driven, 3 point cat 1, 6 inch chipper.
We don't offer the lowest priced China wood chipper but , do feel we offer the most serviced and prepped , ready to work China chipper you can buy for the money. We are into our 5th year importing/selling these chippers and our prep before the sale has given us durability. We feel Our in house prep before the sale equalls quality.

Our chippers have a new feed drum with stronger more aggressive teeth for pulling the wood in and a new style greaseable feed drum drive shaft that has pin style u joints at each end. This new feed drum drive shaft can be used to up-grade the old style shafts found on the older China chippers.

Feel free to contact us if you have any interest/questions in our chippers.

http://ranchhandsupply.com/woodchippers.html



Ronald
Ranch Hand Supply

 

[Affordable]

Wayne,the Tomcats still have the same feed dis-engage lever you have,it's a saftey feature,it does what it's supposed to do,I agree it's not very ridgid but it works.I think we all want these chippers to be as safe as possible,thanks for your comments about me and my company,I know buying a high dollar item long distance can give you a un-easy feeling.I have sold to almost all 50-states including Hawaii and have had few few problems.


Tommy
Affordable Tractor Sales
Home of compact Jinma, Foton, and Koyker Tractors and Parts, Wood Chippers, Backhoes - Affordable Tractor Sales Company

 

[AlanB]

Brushy Mtn,

Let me also add, and I should have in my first post that overall I am happy with my Chinese chipper.

Let me also add that in retrospect I should have bought from Affordable or Ranch Hand.

I have bought parts from Ranch Hand and he was exceptionally helpfull.

I see from the low post count you probably have not been here long, so in the for what it is worth, Ranch Hand and Affordable have both been exceptionally helpful and dependable to folks over a long period of time.

 

[RoyJackson]

I have sold hundreds of the Jinma woodchippers over the years and they are a great value...

Most of the Jinmas I've seen (in real life (which were very few...not popular here, I suppose) and read about on TBN) required work after delivery...so it's buyer beware when you buy them.
Other then sharpening (normal wear and tear) and greasing, my used Woods has required no other work.

 

[texas42]

I did a lot of research and a lot of reading including everything I could find here on TBN before deciding on a Wallenstein.
I bought the Wallenstein BX42 and am very happy with it. Yes, it's a few dollars more than some of the foreign made units but it's a good quality build and design - easy to operate and maintain - not heavy and bulky. Just a good solid simple unit.

 

[galen1115]

Without knowing what hp range your looking at or if you want a self contained unit or PTO driven, I am assuming you want experience on the brands you mentioned only. And price is secondary, I enjoy using my Wallenstein. Very well built.

 

[gc2310]

I been using a Bearcat 70554 for about 4 years and hundreds of hours. Very well made and dependable. Definitely my choice.

 

[Affordable]

Roy,you are right in the beginning there were some problems with the Jinmas,they have to be assemblied and checked before use,once that is done they are very dependable machines that only require greasing and blade sharping as well.Most customers will agree that to save $ 2,000-3,000.00 they can tighten a few bolts and set screws,you will see more positive comments about the chinese chippers than negative

Tommy
Affordable Tractor Sales
Home of compact Jinma, Foton, and Koyker Tractors and Parts, Wood Chippers, Backhoes - Affordable Tractor Sales Company

 

[Code54]

I would do a search for Woodward Crossings and the Wallenstein Chippers, I own one and love it. Unpacked it AND set it up on the tractor in under 30 minutes and was using it. Been for months without a problem - works great, no problems and VERY VERY well made.

 

[BrushyMt]

Thanks to all who have replied to my request for information on and personal experiences with chippers. After due consideration of all the facts I have decided to go with a Wallenstein primarily because of my lack of experience in maintaining rolling equipment and attachments as well as the constraints on my time. I will report back after taking delivery and my inital use.

Thanks again to all for contributing your thoughts and sharing your experiences.

BMt.